


The Kitten Conundrum

by LittleShinikami



Series: Louder Than Words [3]
Category: Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kittens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-03 13:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleShinikami/pseuds/LittleShinikami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While out on a walk Archer finds a stray kitten and falls head over heels for her. But pets aren't allowed on base. Will he be able to keep her a secret from MacTavish?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the kitten he finds: http://cutestkittenever.tumblr.com/post/104605072/kitten-via-artolog

Ian "Archer" Richards paused in his walk and ran a hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat from it. It was hotter than usual today and he was taking advantage of the beautiful weather by walking around the perimeter of the base. Some of the guys had invited him to go with them down to a lake near the base to swim. He had declined, but was now questioning his decision. He looked up at the mountains that loomed over the base and shoved his hands in his pockets. It wasn't very often he had time to just stop and enjoy the small things in life. The warmth of the sun on his skin, the earthy smell of the forest, the beauty of the mountains, how blue the sky was… With all the death and destruction they had to deal with, it was nice to be able to escape even if it was only for a few hours. Archer much preferred escaping this way instead of with drinking and smoking the way most of the guys preferred. He smiled to himself, ridiculously happy to not have to think about all that crap.

A small noise pulled Archer out of his thoughts. He frowned slightly and looked around. It had sounded like a small animal. He walked over to the tall chain link fence that surrounded the base, and listened. He heard it again and this time it didn't stop. His green eyes widened slightly as he realized that it was a series of small mewls. He walked along the fence and stopped when he was sure the sound was right in front of him. He crouched his big frame down and moved aside a small bush. There hiding under the bush was a terrified tiny kitten. She was fluffy and tabby striped, but in light calico colors. Her muzzle and chest were white, as were her feet. She looked up at Archer and meowed, fear in her blue eyes. Archer reached out and picked her up, holding her gingerly in his large hands. She squirmed and hollered.

His face softened. "Hey easy," he murmured. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He ran his finger over the top of her head gently and she seemed to calm down. She began to gnaw on the hand that was holding her. He smiled down at her. She was ridiculously cute and couldn't be more than a month old. He could easily hold her in one of his large hands. He sighed heavily and ran his free hand through his reddish brown hair.

"What am I gonna do with you? Pets aren't allowed on base…" She looked up and mewled at him. "If I tell MacTavish he'll just get rid of you." He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking. He knew he should just turn her over to MacTavish so she could be adopted out. But as he stood there looking down at the ball of fluff in his hands, he knew he couldn't bring himself to do it. He sighed heavily. "I guess we'll just see how long I can keep you a secret."

She began chewing on his hand again and he realized she was probably hungry. He frowned. How the heck was he gonna get food for her? He remembered that there were small packets of cream in the mess hall near the coffee maker. That was going to have to do for now. He held her close to his chest and began walking back towards the mess hall. When the buildings came into view he suddenly stopped. He couldn't just walk into the mess hall with a cat in hand. He lifted her to eye level.

"Where'm I gonna hide you?" he muttered.

She took a swat at his face and he chuckled. He looked down at his person and realized that the side pockets of his cargo pants were probably big enough to hold her. He bent down, opening to pocket and gently tucked her inside. He buttoned the pocket closed and straightened up. He could hear her mewling quietly. He shifted his leg to make sure he wouldn't hurt her while walking and then set off towards the mess hall, walking a little slower than normal so as not to jostle her too much.

When he entered the mess hall the only person in it was Jester who was idly flipping through a magazine. He glanced up at Archer and nodded. Archer nodded back, relieved that he seemed preoccupied, and quickly made his way over to the small table where the coffee was. Not wanting to look suspicious, he poured himself a cup of coffee and stuffed three little cream tubs in his pocket. He then casually walked out of the mess hall and over to the barracks.

He quickly made his way down the hallway towards his and Toad's room. The kitten began to meow louder as she was thrown around from his quick steps. He entered the room and shut the door, quickly flipping the lock. He was grateful that Toad had gone with the guys down to the lake. He didn't have to worry about him returning for a couple of hours. He set the cup of coffee on bedside table and then pulled the kitten out of his pocket and set her on the floor. He carefully sat down next to her and pulled the creams out of his pocket. She climbed up his leg and crawled into his lap, meowing the whole time.

"Hold on love. I'm getting you food," he said as he opened one of the little tubs of cream and set it on the floor. He picked up the kitten and set her in front of it. She sniffed it and then quickly began to lap up the cream. Archer chuckled. "You really were hungry."

When the cream got down to where she couldn't quite reach it the kitten stuffed her face into the container and got it stuck on her muzzle. She brought one of her white paws up to her face and pried the container off, spilling the little bit of cream that was left on the wood floor. She quickly lapped it up.

"Stupid," said Archer softly as he stroked her back with his finger, a smile on his face. She purred loudly at the attention. When the cream was gone she began to clean her face. Archer just sat there watching her. She was the cutest thing he had ever seen. She suddenly stopped cleaning herself and stood up, tail quivering. She started meowing frantically.

Archer frowned. "What's wrong?" She hollered louder and his eyes widened. "Oh shite," he muttered as he realized she probably needed to use a litter box. He looked frantically around the room. There was nothing she could use, except maybe his blankets if he wanted to wash them. His eyes landed on the window and he leapt up and opened it. He picked the kitten up as gently as he could and then crawled through the open window. He set her down in the dirt and she immediately began scratching at the dirt. She did her business and Archer sighed. He scratched his head. How was he supposed to keep her in his room if he didn't have a litter box? Maybe he could get a box with sand in it? He shook his head. This was going to be harder than he thought.

He picked her up and climbed back through the window. He sat down on his bed, letting the kitten go. She began kneading the blankets and purring. "You're going to cause me a lot of trouble…" he mumbled, petting the top of her head. She turned and swatted at his hand, tail swishing back and forth. "Oh you wanna play huh?" he chuckled. He wiggled his fingers at her and she crouched down, ears slightly flat in hunter mode. She leapt at his hand and latched on, biting his fingers. Archer couldn't help laughing as he played with her. He flipped her onto her back and tickled her belly. She kicked at him with her back feet and chewed on his hand. Suddenly she pushed herself away from him and stood up, tail flicking. She caught sight of her tail and began chasing it in circles. Archer laughed and laid himself down on his bed.

It felt like it had been forever since he had been this relaxed and this free to express his emotions. He had grown up with cats and had found that sometimes they were better friends than people. He had always been quiet and reserved, even as a kid, but he had emotions too and people didn't always know what to do when he expressed them. Because of that he had tried to become as stoic and unreadable as possible. He had succeeded since Toad was about the only person, besides his mother, that could read him very well. But here, with this kitten, he could let his guard down.

The kitten meowed at him and walked up to his face. She sniffed his eye and Archer chuckled. She moved up to his forehead and then began licking him. He reached out and gently petted her, his hand engulfing her.

"I suppose I should name you huh?" He turned her around and lifted her tail, checking her gender. "Female." He dropped her tail and she mewled at him, turning around to face him again. She kneaded the blanket, purring loudly. Archer scratched his head. He had never been good at naming pets. His older sister had usually done that. "Well… how about Amy?" She walked up to him and flopped down, stretching out and pressing up against his chest. "Guess that'll have to do." He ran a finger down her soft belly and she purred. Her eyes closed and she sighed.

"You're probably glad to be safe, right love?" But she was already asleep. Archer laid his head down and decided to nap with her. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face.

oOo 

Archer awoke a few hours later to the sound of a key wiggling in the lock. His eyes shot open and he sat up, grabbing Amy. She meowed in protest as he shoved her under the blanket just as Toad walked through the door.

Toad did a double take and looked surprised that Archer was there. He was barefoot, shoes in one hand and a towel in the other. His blond hair was still damp, as was his tee shirt and swim trunks.

"What're you doing inside? Thought you'd be out enjoying the weather."

"I was," Archer grunted.

"Hmmm," was all Toad said as he walked over to his bed. He dropped his shoes on the floor.

Amy was attempting to get out of the covers. Archer quickly shoved her back under the blankets. "How was swimming?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Great," said Toad with a grin. "Water was awesome." He peeled off his shirt and tossed it in the corner. "How was your walk?"

"Fine," he said, averting his eyes as Toad pulled off his trunks. He heard Toad sigh.

"Am I ever gonna get more than a one word answer out of you?" The rustling of clothes indicated he was getting dressed.

"Maybe," Archer said with a smirk, looking up at Toad. Toad just rolled his grey blue eyes as he pulled on an army green tee shirt.

Archer's eyes suddenly widened in horror as he heard Amy begin to meow. Toad paused and frowned.

"You hear something?"

"No," said Archer, placing his hand over the lump on his bed that was Amy, trying to get her to be quiet.

Toad's frown deepened. "You sure? It sounded like a mouse or something…"

Archer shook his head. "I think you're ears are full of water mate."

Toad snorted. "Well maybe your hearing's going, old man." He threw a grin at Archer. Archer just grunted in annoyance. He wasn't that much older than Toad.

Toad ran a hand through his blond hair, making it stand on end, a slightly annoyed look on his face. "I hope Roach hasn't let another rat loose in the barracks."

Archer chuckled at the memory and Toad just glared at him.

"I swear I will fucking kill him if he does that again," said Toad as he sat down on his bed to pull on his boots, not looking happy at all.

Roach hadn't targeted Toad specifically with that prank, but somehow the rat had ended up in Toad's bed. Archer hadn't seen a grown man scream that loud since they put a camel spider in Ghost's bed while they were on a mission in Afghanistan. Toad had leaped onto his desk and screamed at Archer to, quote, "kill the fucking disease ridden beast." He had just laughed at Toad, who, of course, had been pissed at Archer. Hearing the commotion Roach and Meat had come down and laughed right along with Archer. Roach eventually got rid of it, but Archer suspected Toad hadn't forgiven Roach at all.

Toad stood up and headed for the door. "Gonna head to the mess hall for dinner. You coming?"

"In a bit," said Archer shifting on his bed, attempting to hide the lump that was Amy.

"Alright." And with that, Toad was gone.

Archer sighed in relief. He reached under the covers and pulled Amy out, who was meowing again.

"That was close," he muttered. Amy just squirmed in his grasp.

Archer took her outside one more time to make sure she wouldn't leave him a little surprise for when he came back and then cleared out a spot in one of his dresser drawers for her to sleep. He set her in there and then shut the drawer, hoping to God she wouldn't find a way to get out. He then headed for the mess hall.

oOo

Somehow Archer managed to make it through that evening and the night without Toad finding out about her. He had been able to scrounge a large box that fit under his bed that he could keep her in. And he stuck a smaller box filled with sand in it as a make shift litter box. The only worry now was the possibility of an inspection. But they had just recently had one, so Archer was pretty sure they wouldn't have another one for a few weeks.

The next morning went just as well, thankfully. He realized, however, that he couldn't keep taking creams from the mess hall. She must have been starving before he found her, because she ate everything he brought her. He decided he would have to figure something out soon.

He sat on the floor of his room after training playing with her with a string. She was a fast little bugger. He was constantly having to pull the string in erratic patterns to keep her from catching it. Archer dangled it over her head and she leaped up and grabbed it. He dropped it, letting her have it. She chewed on it and attacked it, jumping around and generally spazzing out. Archer chuckled. She walked over to him and rubbed against his hand that was resting on his leg. She then began to suck on his finger tips, moving from one to the next. Archer frowned.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly it dawned on him. "Oh you must be hungry. Guess we'll have to get you some food love," he said, picking Amy up.

Suddenly the door opened and Toad walked into the room. Archer stuffed Amy under his shirt, holding the edge of his shirt taught against his body so she couldn't get out.

Toad raised an eyebrow at him. "What… are you doing?"

Archer's mind raced trying to find some excuse, heart pounding furiously, though outwardly he looked perfectly calm. He shrugged. "Meditating."

He looked like he didn't believe Archer. "Ooookay then…"

He walked over to his book shelf and pulled a few CDs down, tossing them on his bed. He then crouched down and pulled a box out from under his bed, looking for something. Archer stood up and edged his way towards the door, still trying to hold Amy under his shirt.

"We're gonna have a poker tournament tonight after dinner, wanna join?" asked Toad, still digging through the box.

"I'll think about it," said Archer. He just desperately wanted to get out of the room.

"Alright," said Toad absentmindedly. "Where the hell did I put those CDs?" he mumbled to himself.

Archer quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him. He pulled Amy out of his shirt and held her close to his chest. "Shite, that was close," he muttered as he walked quickly down the hall. Now he had to get her some food. He already had something in mind though.

He exited the barracks and dashed across the compound over to the back side of the mess hall, Amy held firmly in his hands. He stopped at the back door to the kitchen area and set Amy down. She sat at his feet and meowed at him. He cracked the door and poked his head in. He watched as the kitchen staff hurried around the kitchen getting things ready for dinner.

"Psst, Chef!" Archer whispered when a short stocky man walked by.

The man turned and arched a red eye brow at Archer. He walked towards the door. Amy attempted to go through the door and Archer gently pushed her back with his booted foot.

"Something I can do for you Archer?" Chef asked.

Archer shuffled nervously. "Yeah I, uh, need a glass of milk."

Chef looked at him in disbelief. "You came back here to bug me for that? Couldn't you just get it in the mess hall? I'm kind of busy here."

"No!" said Archer a little too loudly. Chef's cocked an eyebrow at him and Archer lowered his voice. "I can't let anyone know about it."

Chef narrowed his blue eyes in suspicion. "If this is for a prank, it better not come back that I gave you this."

"Of course not, mate."

"Hmmm." Chef still didn't look convinced. "Fine." He disappeared into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a glass of milk. He handed it to Archer. "Remember, I didn't give this to you."

"Thanks mate." He gave Chef a nod and quickly shut the door. He looked down and frowned when he saw that Amy wasn't at his feet anymore. He looked around and panicked when he saw her making her way to the edge of the building and out into the open. "Shite," he muttered, rushing over and scooping her up into his large hand. She squirmed in his grasp and mewled. He pressed himself close to the building hoping he hadn't been seen. He waited a minute, Amy in one hand and the glass of milk in the other, then peeked around the corner. Toad was walking away from the barracks towards the rec room. He sighed in relief. That meant he could go back to their room and feed Amy.

He waited until Toad went into the rec room and then ran over to the backside of the barracks. He crouched down and walked under several windows until he was under the one for his and Toad's room. He quickly stood up and set Amy on the window sill. He opened the window as Amy batted at his hand. She lost her balance and tumbled through the window into their room, landing on Archer's bed. Archer stuck his head through the window to make sure she was alright. She was, of course, fine and was attacking the blankets on his bed. He leaned back and let out a small sigh. They were almost home free.

"Archer?" came a voice from behind him, making him jump and nearly spill the milk. "The hell are you doing?"

Archer whirled around. Roach stood behind him, hands on his hips, an amused look in his hazel eyes and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Nothing," Archer said quickly. He inwardly cringed at how suspicious that sounded.

Gary looked down at the glass of milk in Archer's hand and a grin spread across his face. "Dude, if you're pranking somebody, I want in on that action."

"I'm not pranking anyone."

Roach raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that said, "Oh really?" It took all of Archer's will power not to just dive through the open window behind him and leave Gary standing there confused. Before Archer could say anything more, Amy jumped up on the window sill and meowed at him. Archer's eyes widened in horror. Gary's mouth fell open in shock and the cigarette fell from his mouth.

"Holy shit! Is that a cat?"

Archer looked down at Amy. She was just sitting there happily, whipping her little tail back and forth. Roach took a couple steps forward and reached out to touch her. Archer moved between him and Amy, growling.

"Whoa!" Gary took a step back and put his hands up in mock defense. "Chill out dude. I'm not gonna hurt her."

Archer just glared at him. He winced when he felt small needle sharp claws dig into his back as Amy climbed up onto his shoulder. She stood on his shoulder and hollered at him.

"Aww," said Gary, his face softening. "She's so cute!" He looked up at Archer. "Or is it a he?"

"She," Archer grunted. Amy rubbed against his face.

Gary reached out and stroked her with his finger. She arched into his touch and began purring. "Well aren't you just the cutest wittle fing. Yes you are!"

Archer rolled his eyes. Some days he couldn't believe Roach had made it onto the Task Force. Granted at 22 he was the youngest one on the team, but did he have to act like he was 12?

"She got a name?" asked Roach curiously.

"Amy."

"Amy? Why Amy?"

Archer shrugged. "It's all I could think of."

"Figures," said Roach chuckling. "So is she why you have the milk?"

"Yeah."

"Can I hold her?"

Archer just shrugged. Gary took her off his shoulder and held her firmly, scratching the top of her head. She just continued to purr. "Man she's tiny. Where'd you find her?"

"West edge of the base. Don't know where she came from."

Gary frowned. "You know we're not supposed to have pets on base."

"I know," said Archer sighing. He shifted nervously. "Are you… going to tell MacTavish?"

"Ha! I should, but she's just too damn cute." He grinned, hazel eyes full of mischief. "Let's see how long we can keep her a secret!"

Archer nodded and Gary handed her back to him. He took her and leaned through the window, dropping her on his bed. He then carefully crawled through the window. Gary followed him. Archer grabbed Amy off the bed and set her on the wood floor. He poured a small amount of the milk on the floor for her and she lapped it up eagerly.

"When did you find her?" asked Gary as he sat on Archer's bed watching the two of them.

"Yesterday afternoon."

"Does Toad know about her?"

Archer shook his head. "Not yet." He poured some more milk for her.

Roach ran a hand through his light brown hair. "Maybe you should just tell him. It's gonna be damn hard keeping her in here without him knowing."

"Yeah…" Archer watched as the little calico drank the milk.

They sat in silence for a while as Archer continued to feed her, each of them considering the consequences of keeping her on base. She finally seemed to get full and began wandering the room. Archer smiled to himself as he watched Amy go around sniffing things.

"Shit," said Roach, amusement in his voice. "She's got you wrapped around her paw already, doesn't she?"

Archer turned to look at Gary, one eye brow raised, a small smile still on his face. "What do you mean?"

Gary laughed. "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you so fucking happy."

Archer just shook his head watching as Amy walked under Toad's desk. Just then the door swung open and Toad walked into the room. Archer froze, suddenly very aware that Amy was across the room and out of reach.

"Oh, hey Roach," said Toad, a little surprised to see him.

Gary nodded. "Hey."

To Archer's horror, Toad walked across the room to his desk and began shuffling through papers. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to figure out what to do.

"What're you guys up to?" asked Toad as he turned around and leaned on his desk.

Archer glanced at Roach. "Just chatting," said Gary with a shrug. Archer could see the tenseness in his shoulders, but his face was a mask of calm. His ability to keep a straight face was the reason he was able to pull, and get away with, so many pranks.

Archer's eyes widened as he watched Amy walk over and begin to play with Toad's boot strings. He felt Gary stiffen even more next to him. A frown flickered across Toad's face and he looked down at his feet. His blue eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock at what he saw.

"What the…?"

A little grey and orange calico tabby face stared up at him, blue eyes bright with mischief. She meowed at Toad. Archer quickly crawled across the room and scooped her up. She hollered in protest. He went back to his spot and sat down.

"Is that a cat?" Toad cried, his voice a little too loud for Archer's liking.

"No," said Roach, amusement in his voice and smirk on his face. "It's a multi-colored rat."

Toad just glared at him. "What the hell is it doing in our room?"

"I found her," said Archer, holding Amy in one hand and petting her with the other.

Toad ran a hand through his blonde hair, distress evident on his face. "Jesus Christ Archer, we can't keep a cat in here."

Archer didn't say anything, just looked down at Amy. She was wiggling in his grasp.

"Come on man, look at her!" said Roach gesturing to her. "She's fucking adorable!"

Toad sighed. "That's not the point! If MacTavish finds out we're in deep shit."

"He won't find out," said Gary with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now that he doesn't have to hide her from you anymore, keeping her a secret will be easy!"

"'Anymore?' The fuck… how long have you had her?"

"Since yesterday," said Archer quietly. He was stroking the top of Amy's head with his finger and she was purring loudly.

Toad's face softened when he saw the way Archer was looking at her. He walked over and crouched down in front of him. "Archer, we can't…" Archer looked up at him. His face was blank, but there was a pleading look in his green eyes. Toad hung his head, sighing, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine." He looked back up at Archer. "We'll see how long we can keep her." Relief flooded Archer's face and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Toad stood up and rubbed his face with his hands, groaning. "What have I done?"

"The right thing," Gary chuckled, standing up and slapping Toad roughly on the back.

Toad glared at him and then looked back down at Archer. He had set the kitten in his lap and was playing with her with his hand. He had never seen Archer act this way, so attached and happy. It was… odd.

"I just hope this doesn't come back and bite us in the ass," he grumbled.

"Pfft, you worry too much," said Gary, putting his hands on his hips. "This wouldn't be the worst thing someone's done."

"We'll see," Toad muttered. He had a bad feeling about this.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the week went by without a hitch. Archer and Toad were sent out on a 2 day mission in the middle of the week and Roach promised to watch Amy while they were gone. When they returned Toad could tell that Archer was using every ounce of self restraint he possessed to not just rush to their room and make sure Amy was still there. She was, of course, fine. He had turned into some over protective, fussing mother hen. Archer, Mr. stoic, now a mother hen. It was ridiculous and Toad was still trying to figure out how to deal with it. Sure it was great having Archer be in a good mood practically all the time, but on some level Toad hoped they would get caught and Archer would go back to being normal. Little did he know, that would happen sooner than he thought.

oOo

Archer was sitting on his bed pulling his boots on, getting ready for training, when Roach suddenly burst through the door, a look of panic on his face.

"There's… gonna be… an inspection… today!" he said, bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"What?" Archer barked.

"Ghost… said there was… gonna be one. Phew!" Gary straightened up.

"The fuck are we gonna do?" asked Toad, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Roach just shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. He looked over at Archer. Archer was staring at the floor as Amy played with his boot strings, chewing on his bottom lip, his brow furrowed.

"Archer! Do something!" Toad cried, throwing his hands in the air.

Archer ran a hand down his face. "The hell am I supposed to do?" he growled, glaring up at Toad.

"I don't know, but it's your fault we're in this fucking mess in the first place!" Toad pointed an accusing finger at Archer.

Archer stood up angrily. "What was I supposed to do when I found her, eh _mate_? Leave her there?"

Toad took a few steps towards Archer. "Take her to MacTavish like you were supposed to!" he said, frustration seeping into his voice.

Roach glanced back and forth between the two snipers, hazel eyes wide, unsure if he should interfere.

"I couldn't do that," said Archer, looking away from Toad.

"Why the hell not? It's just a fucking cat Archer!"

Archer's eyes flashed dangerously and then as if on cue, Amy began to meow. Archer reached down and picked her up. He held her close. "You wouldn't understand."

Toad laughed bitterly. "I would if you would fucking talk to me, instead of shutting everyone out."

Archer just looked away, conflicting emotions bubbling in his chest. There was a heavy silence as no one spoke. Gary finally cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Why don't we just take her to training with us?" he suggested.

"Are you out of your mind?" Toad yelled.

Roach snorted. "No. Look, Archer's hid her in his pants pockets before right?"

"Yes," grunted Toad, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well… let's just do that again. When he runs the pit, one of us will take her. Then when he comes back, we give her back."

Toad pursed his lip, thinking. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "We're so getting caught."

"Come on," said Gary with a frown. "We're part of an elite task force, surely we can hide a _kitten_." He cocked his head at Archer. "What do you think?"

Archer sighed. "We'll just have to try it."

Toad pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh my God, I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. Okay fine, let's give it a try."

Gary grinned. "See? Not so hard." He slapped Toad on the back. "We'll be fine." Toad just sighed in exasperation. "But… first things first. We _really_ need to get rid of that litter box."

oOo

Gary shifted nervously as he watched Archer run the pit. He had already run the course and Amy was currently in one of his pockets. Toad had told Gary he was going to keep Amy in his pocket since it was his idea. Thankfully the only really physical training they had all done together had been a jog around the base. Archer had simply been slower than normal in an attempt to not hurt Amy. Toad had given him shit to try and keep up appearances and thankfully no one asked any questions. Ghost was no where to been seen as he was the one doing the inspections.

Archer appeared in the door of the observation area, panting slightly. He looked over at Roach with questioning eyes. Roach gave him a small, barely noticeable nod. So far so good.

"Nice job, Archer," said MacTavish. "40 seconds."

Toad groaned. "How the hell am I supposed to beat that?"

Archer just shrugged. He walked over to stand next to Gary and took the water bottle he offered him. He took a long swig as Toad walked down to the pit. They watched as Toad picked his weapon and walked up to the starting line.

"Ready…" said MacTavish through the mic. "Go!"

Toad took off into the pit. However, Roach and Archer weren't really paying attention as they were trying to get Amy back into Archer's pocket. Amy gave a small howl as Archer shoved her back into his pocket. Gary cast a worried glance at MacTavish, but he was focused on Toad and it seemed like he hadn't heard Amy.

MacTavish sighed and ran a hand through his mohawk as Toad finished up the pit. "Too slow," he mumbled. "Archer," he said turning to the sniper.

"Yes sir?"

"Is something going on with Toad?"

Archer stiffened slightly, thinking of Amy. "Not that I know of, sir."

"Hmmm."

Toad came up onto the observation deck, looking slightly distressed. "What was my time, sir?" he asked, taking the water bottle Archer passed him.

"Too slow," grunted MacTavish. "62 seconds."

"Fuck," muttered Toad, looking away angrily.

"Better luck next time, mate," said Archer, clapping him on the shoulder.

Toad just grunted.

The three of them made there way off the observation deck as the next group came to run the pit. They headed for the shooting range, as that's where their last set of training exercises for the day would be. Archer was relived that it was almost over. After this he would be able to drop Amy off in their room before heading to lunch.

During shooting practice Archer could feel Amy trembling against his leg, the noise of all the guns scaring her. He hoped this day wouldn't traumatize her too much. That was the last thing he wanted. With her there he was incredibly distracted and kept missing targets. Toad took the opportunity to rip him apart. Archer didn't take it personally, but it was beginning to grate on him. It could have been called teasing, but there was a shaper, bitter undertone to it. Archer suspected it had something to do with the little spat that morning.

When training was over the inspection results were announced. Losers would have extra training the next day and winners would get to take it easy. As usual, Scarecrow and Rook's room was the messiest. It didn't seem to matter how many times they lost, their room still remained a mess. Surprisingly, Archer and Toad were the winners. Toad seemed well and truly shocked. Generally Royce and Ozone kept their room impeccable. Whatever had happened, Archer was grateful for it. So far today had been stressful and it was nice to know a small break was coming his way.

As the men dispersed, Archer, Toad and Roach hung around and chatted. Archer really wanted to get back to their room and drop Amy off, but he didn't want to look suspicious, so he hung around. As they were talking Ghost walked up to them.

"Congratulations mates," he said nodding at Toad and Archer.

"Thanks," said Toad. Archer nodded.

"How was the pit this morning?"

"Good," said Archer.

Gary shrugged. "Alright."

"Fucking sucked," said Toad miserably.

Ghost just chuckled. "There's always next time, mate."

"I suppose…"

"You headed to the mess hall for lunch?"

The three of them nodded. "Just headed over there," said Gary.

"Before you go, Archer, may I have a word with you?" Ghost walked back towards the pit.

Gary and Toad exchanged worried looks as Archer followed him. They reluctantly headed towards the mess hall.

"Something the matter, sir?" asked Archer crossing his arms over his chest.

"You could say that," said Ghost

Archer raised an eye brow.

"While your room was the cleanest, I found something very interesting in it."

"What was that?"

"There was cat hair on the blanket on your bed."

Archer stiffened and tried not to let the shock and fear show on his face. But he wasn't sure he did a good enough job as he swore he could see Ghost smirk under his balaclava. "You sure it was cat hair?"

"Yes." Ghost raised an eye brow, asking the silent question, "Are you really questioning me?"

"Are you insinuating that I have a cat in my room when I know pets aren't allowed on base?" asked Archer, his voice, thankfully, even.

"I'm not insinuating anything, mate. I _know_ you have a cat in your room."

Archer shook his head and tried to sound convincing. "I don't."

He saw Ghost roll his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Bloody hell, Archer, don't pull this shite with me. It's obvious. Now where are you keeping it?"

Amy, having the worst timing ever, choose that moment to start meowing. Archer's eyes widened in horror and Ghost crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well that proves it now doesn't it mate?" said Ghost smugly.

Archer looked away, his shoulders tight and tense. This was it then. Amy would soon be gone…

"So what should I do about it?"

Archer looked back at Ghost, frowning in confusion. Ghost just stood there, his head cocked to one side as if contemplating something. Archer just shrugged, unable to bring himself to say anything. Ghost was watching him intently, the grinning skull on his balaclava making it more intimidating than it already was. Amy began meowing louder, probably hungry.

"She sounds little."

"Yeah…" said Archer softly. He reached down and pulled Amy out of his pocket. He stroked her head and she calmed down and began purring. He saw Ghost's eyes soften behind his sunglasses.

"Bloody hell, she's a cute bugger."

Archer just nodded. He was having a hard time speaking as conflicting emotions bubbled in his chest. He was caught between the need to not look weak and not wanting Amy to be taken away. He was somewhat unsure as to how he had ended up so attached to her.

Ghost took a couple of steps forward and reached out, scratching behind Amy's ears. "How long have ya had her?"

"About a week."

"That long eh?" Ghost sighed. "She got a name?"

"Amy."

"So that's it then? You've gotten attached to her."

Archer looked away, unable to hold Ghost's intense gaze. He felt weak and it wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling.

"Tell ya what mate, I won't tell MacTavish you have her. But if he asks…"

"You'll tell him. I understand." Archer was utterly relieved that Ghost was going to go along with this. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Ghost, slapping him on the back. "Now get the little bugger to your room and get down to the mess hall for lunch."

"Yes sir."

oOo

Later that evening Roach was in Archer and Toad's room with them playing with Amy. Archer and him were sitting on the floor taking turns pulling a string across the floor for Amy to chase. Toad was sitting on his bed, watching them.

"So Ghost found out eh?" said Roach as he pulled the string around his knee and Amy chased after it.

Archer nodded watching as Amy turned around and dashed around the other side of Roach, trying to outsmart the string.

"Hey that's not fair," said Roach, pouting as Amy caught the string. "So what'd he say?"

Archer took the string from Roach and dangled it above Amy's head. "That he won't tell MacTavish unless he asks." Amy hopped and leaped after the string.

"You think he'll ask?"

Archer just shrugged as Amy caught the string in her mouth. He dropped it, letting her chew on it for a while.

"How'd he find out?" Toad piped up.

"Cat hair on my bed."

Roach wiggled his fingers above Amy and she promptly jumped up from chewing on the string and began attacking his hand. "She shed that much in a week?"

"Guess so."

Toad sighed. "Guess we should have washed it half way through the week."

"At least you don't have to worry about it now that Ghost knows," said Roach as Amy flipped onto her back. "Since, you know, he does the inspections."

He grabbed her belly, his hand engulfing her and gently shook her. She chewed on his hand. Her ears suddenly went back and she seemed irritated that Roach was holding her down.

"Yeowch!" Roach yelped as Amy bite him hard.

He let her go and she jumped up and skittered across the room. She pranced around and then began chasing some invisible thing that only she could see. Toad scratched the back of his head and watched her with a frown.

"Are all cats this spazzy?" he asked.

Roach laughed. "It sure seems like it." He cocked his head in curiosity. "You've never had a cat?"

Toad shook his head. "We weren't allowed to have pets when I was young."

"Aww that's sad."

Amy was now attacking and rolling around in one of Toad's shirts. She suddenly jumped up from it and hopped away from it, back arched.

"What about you Archer? You have pets when you were little?"

Archer nodded. "We always had a cat around. Mum loves 'em. You?"

"Shit yeah," said Roach with a grin. "We've had Sassy and Trigger since I was nine."

"Cats?" asked Toad.

"Sassy is. She's a snotty little Siamese. Trigger's a golden retriever."

Amy jumped up onto Toad's bed and meowed at him. He raised eye brow and watched as she climbed into his lap. She stood up, placing her little white front paws on his chest and took a whack at his dog tags.

"They, uh, they get along then?" asked Toad as he leaned back slightly from Amy, a look of uncertainty on his face.

Archer couldn't help smiling slightly as he watched his partner shift nervously on his bed. He really didn't know how to handle cats. Or maybe it was because she was a baby, Archer wasn't sure.

"Oh yeah they get along fine." Roach grinned. "Cause Sassy's in charge. Trigger cow tows to her majesty."

"Why's that?"

"We got Sassy first, so she was head hancho. She just smacks Trigger when he gets out of line."

Toad winced as Amy climbed up onto his shoulder, digging her claws into him. When she finally got up she meowed at him. Archer watched in amusement as Toad cringed when she started licking his face. He tentatively reached up and petted her. She started purring and Toad relaxed, his face breaking into a smile.

Roach's stomach suddenly growled loudly. Archer looked at him, one eye brow raised and he laughed nervously.

"Guess I'm hungry."

Toad looked over at his clock. "Shit, it's dinner time already?"

"We should go get some grub," said Roach standing up, Archer following suit.

There's was a knock at the door startling Amy and she jumped off Toad's shoulder and scurried under his bed. Toad got up and opened the door.

"Oh, Ghost hey," said Toad opening the door wider.

"Mate," said Ghost nodding curtly. "Came to check on the little bugger."

Amy suddenly trotted up to Toad and rubbed on his leg. Ghost chuckled.

"Doin' fine, aren't ya little one," said Ghost reaching down to pick her up.

Amy skittered away from him and into the hall. Ghost cursed and turned around to try and get her. A door slammed down the hall as someone came out of their room and Amy took off down the hall. Archer panicked and shoved past Ghost, running after Amy. He cursed as he wondered how the hell she could be so fast with how little she was. Chemo was at the end of the hall, opening the door to the outside.

"CHEMO!" Ghost bellowed behind him. "Grab that cat!"

"What?" said Chemo, a confused look on his face.

He looked down and his mouth dropped open in shock as Amy ran out the door. Archer rushed past him and his heart jumped into his throat and then dropped into his stomach as he saw Amy heading for the mess hall. He pushed his legs to go faster. They were nearly to the mess hall when Royce opened the door.

"Royce!" he yelled.

He paused, holding the door open. "What?"

Amy ran right past him into the mess hall, Archer on her heels. He ignored Royce, as he stared at them in confused shock, focused entirely on catching Amy before something happened to her.

She ran under one table and then leaped up into Ace's lap and then onto another table. Ace gave a startled yelp. It freaked Amy out and she ran down the middle of the table. Archer ran around the long table trying to intercept her before she could jump to the next one. Jester walked between the tables as Amy jumped for it. She sunk her claws into his arm and pulled herself up onto his shoulder.

"What the hell!" he yelled, staring in shock as the kitten leapt from his shoulder onto the next table.

Archer saw that she was trying to make it to the open door to the kitchen at the other end of the table. He dove and slid down the length of the table, sending food and drinks flying. Just before she leapt off the table Archer reached out and caught her. He slid to a stop at the end of the table.

"Bloody hell!" yelled MacTavish as his food tray was dumped into his lap. "ARCHER! What in the fucking hell is going on!" he bellowed.

Archer swallowed hard as he realized he was in deep shite. Amy squirmed in his grip and meowed. MacTavish's ice blue eyes widened in surprise as he saw her.

"Is that… is that a cat?"

Archer pulled himself into an upright position and quickly got off the table. He stood stiffly in front of MacTavish, covered in food, Amy held close to his chest. "Yes sir."

The Captain's eye twitched and he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. "Archer… I would have expected this from Toad, but not you." He dropped his hand and looked at Archer. "You know pets aren't allowed on base."

"Yes sir." Archer kept his face neutral, but inside he was mortified. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Toad, Roach and Ghost walk up next to them. Toad looked like he was caught between wanting to laugh and being mortified. Gary looked absolutely horrified and Ghost was unreadable as ever, arms crossed over his chest.

MacTavish held out his hand. "Give me the cat."

Archer stiffened and leaned away from MacTavish slightly, his grip on Amy tightening. She began to meow louder. "No sir."

For a moment the entire mess hall went deathly quiet.

MacTavish ground his teeth together. "Archer, I _order_ you to give me the cat."

Archer looked at him, defiance in his eyes. But he could see that MacTavish was becoming more and more pissed with every second. He grit his teeth and reluctantly handed Amy over to him. MacTavish held the kitten firmly in his big hand. She swatted at his hand and he frowned. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and she mewled pitifully. Archer couldn't help the look of pain that flashed across his face. MacTavish must have seen it, because he quickly went back to holding Amy in his hand.

"Now, get yourself cleaned up. Then you will come back here and clean this mess up." He gestured at the food covered table and floor with his free hand. "Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." With that, MacTavish strode past Archer and walked out of the mess hall.

Archer stood there tensely, hands balled into tight fists. Ghost shook his head and followed the Captain out of the mess hall. Toad and Roach edged their way closer to Archer.

"Wow Archer, way to make a fucking mess," Meat said snidely.

Archer whirled around, his green eyes flashing dangerously. "What'd you say?" he growled.

Meat shrunk away from the anger in his eyes. "Nothing."

"Good."

Toad placed a hand on Archer's shoulder. "Hey man, you okay?" he said quietly.

"Fine," Archer grunted, shrugging off Toad's hand. "Bloody wonderful." He ran a hand through his reddish brown hair and made a disgusted face when he realized there was spaghetti sauce in his hair. He sighed heavily and stalked out of the mess hall.

"This fucking sucks," said Gary miserably as they watched Archer go.

Toad just nodded. There was something deeper going on with Archer and he was going to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, that whole chase scene seems somewhat unrealistic. But believe me that can happen. When we first got my kitten, Sweetie, we had to keep her separate from the other cat, Holly, because Holly wanted to eat Sweetie. o.O So anytime we tried to leave a room Sweetie would actively try to get out. So yeah, Amy just wanted out. lolololol That's what I'm sticking with anyway.
> 
> Also Roach's cat, Sassy, is a tribute to Sassy from the movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. And his dog is a tribute to my cousin's golden retriever named Trigger.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a teeny tiny bit of angst in it. I think I have a penchant to putting characters through emotional trauma and making them cry. Especially Archer. I am sadistic, I know. :D Also short chapter is short. lol

Ghost rapped on the door to MacTavish's office and then let himself inside. He stopped abruptly and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. MacTavish was sitting cross legged on the floor in the middle of his office, a small smile on his face. He had a string in hand and was playing with the kitten.

"Bloody hell," Ghost whispered. He pulled the sun glasses off his face and hooked them on the collar of his tee shirt. "Sir?" he said.

MacTavish glanced up at him. "Ah, Ghost. Come in."

Ghost closed the door behind him and took a few steps closer, crossing his arms over his chest. Amy trotted over to him and began gnawing on his boot. He looked down at the calico through cool blue eyes, one eyebrow arched. MacTavish reached over and grabbed her.

"Care to explain this?" asked Ghost.

MacTavish sighed heavily and stood up. "Not much ta explain mate."

Ghost shook his head. "So ya took her away from Archer just to play with her?"

"That's not why I took her away from him," MacTavish said defensively. "She can't stay here. We have to get rid of her."

" _I_ know that. But I'm not the one sitting in the middle of my office playing with the bloody cat." MacTavish glared at him as the kitten struggled in his grip. Ghost's eyes softened slightly. "Bloody hell, she's still too damn cute though."

"Aye, that she is," the captain said softly.

Ghost reached out and scratched the top of her head. "You sure we can't let Archer keep her?"

MacTavish snorted. "That would go over real well now wouldn't it mate? Yes General Shepherd, I know we're in the middle of tracking down the world's most dangerous terrorist, but would you please let us keep a kitten on base?"

Ghost chuckled, amusement in his eyes. "Bloody wanker shouldn't be so uptight." He paused. "Come on mate, it'd be nice having her around. And Archer sure seemed upset when you took her."

MacTavish nodded. "I'll see what I can do. But I can't make any promises." He set Amy down on his desk and she immediately began swatting at a pencil. "In the mean time she stays here. Can't have Archer getting more attached to her if we have to get rid of her."

"Too right mate."

oOo

That night Archer lay in his bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He couldn't stop worrying about Amy, wondering whether they could make an exception and keep her or if they would have to get rid of her. A stab of pain went through his heart at the thought of not getting to keep her. He rolled onto his back and pressed his palms against his eyes.

 _It's just a fucking cat Ian,_ he scolded himself. _Don't get emotional._

But he couldn't help the tears that slipped from behind his hands and slid down his face. A soft sob escape his mouth and he rolled onto his side, burying his face in his pillow. He felt ashamed for being so weak and emotional over a stupid cat.

"Archer?" Toad's voice drifted across the dark room.

Archer swallowed hard, unable to bring himself to say anything.

He heard Toad shifted on his bed. "Hey, you okay man?"

"Fine," said Archer, his voice thick with emotion.

Toad threw off his blankets and walked over to Archer's bed. He knelt down next to it and set a hand on Archer's shoulder. Archer took a shaky breath, attempting to hold back the emotions bubbling in his chest. He pressed his hands against his eyes again. It was getting harder and harder to stem the tears that wanted to flow.

Toad gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Hey, Ian, come on. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right. Come on man, it's no secret you're upset about Amy." He tugged at Archer's shoulder. "Talk to me, please," he pleaded.

Archer took a deep breath, pushing his emotions back, and rolled over. He pushed himself into a sitting position and Toad sat down on the edge of Archer's bed, watching him with a sympathetic expression on his face.

Archer sighed and looked down at his hands, unable to look at Toad. "Not much to say mate."

"This about Amy being taken away?" Toad asked softly.

Archer just nodded, still not looking at Toad.

"You got really attached to her in a short time didn't you?"

"Yeah."

Toad scratched the back of his head. "I knew you were a cat person, but I didn't think that meant it was this, uh, emotional…" He shifted awkwardly on the bed. He wanted to comfort his friend, but he wasn't sure he was doing such a good job. "Is there… something more going on?"

Archer swallowed hard and finally looked up at Toad. His green eyes were filled with sorrow and Toad could tell he was doing everything he could to hold back the tears.

"When I was 7 we adopted a cat that looked almost exactly like Amy. We named her Tabby because she was striped. She was supposed to be the family cat, but she kind of unofficially became mine. She would be waiting for me at the door when I came home from school and she slept with me at night." Archer leaned back against the wall, a faraway look in his eyes as he relived the past. "She was my best friend. I was teased in school because I was so quiet. Dad always told me to buck up and take it like a man and mum said that words could only hurt you if you let them and that people's opinion of me didn't matter."

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me type of thing huh?" said Toad, watching Archer carefully.

Archer nodded. "Exactly. Which is fine, I agree with that. And I'm glad my parents taught me that. But it doesn't matter how much you're told that when you're little, it doesn't take away all of the sting. But Tabby…" He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "She was always there for me. I could talk to her and she would _listen_. She was the best friend I could have ever had. She never judged me. She loved me." He pressed his palms against his eyes and his shoulders shook with the effort of holding back the emotions.

Toad just silently waited for Archer to compose himself. When he finally spoke again his voice was thick with emotion.

"We had her for 2 years and then I came home from school one day and she was gone. We never let her out so she must have escaped. I found her…" Archer's breath hitched and a tear slipped out from behind his hand. "I found her in the street. Dead. She had been run over."

" _Shit_ ," Toad breathed. "Archer… I'm so sorry."

Archer hiccuped and a soft sob escaped his mouth. He began to cry, shoulders shaking, hands covering his face. Toad was unsure what he should do. It seemed like ever since Archer had apologized to Toad after he had been wounded that he had become more emotional. Or maybe he was just more emotional around Toad.

"Fuck, that was 20 years ago," said Archer hoarsely. "I shouldn't be so emotional about it. I feel so weak."

Toad reached out and pulled Archer's hands away from his face so he could see him. His green eyes were clouded with sadness and pain, his face wet with tears. "It doesn't matter," said Toad. "It was something that traumatized you. You loved her and losing her was painful."

"Still…" He wiped his face, attempting to compose himself.

Toad shook his head. "Don't buy into stereo types. There's some unspoken rule that since you're in the military you can't feel or, God forbid, cry. It's bullshit. Granted, it's still a little strange seeing you cry." He laughed nervously. "I wasn't even sure you could cry until recently."

"I just didn't want to seem weak," said Archer, almost looking embarrassed.

"Understandable. But still… You're my best friend and I'm not gonna judge you for it."

Archer looked relieved. "Thanks mate."

"No problem." They sat in silence for a while. Finally Toad spoke again. "Having Amy taken away… does it remind you of losing Tabby?"

Archer bit his bottom lip and nodded jerkily.

Toad sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hands. "Maybe we can find a way to keep her…"

Archer shook his head slowly, still looking slightly upset. "I doubt it." He took a shaky breath. "If… if she goes to a good home, it won't be so hard…"

"We still might as well try," said Toad shrugging. "Nothing to lose."

Archer nodded. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Archer just glad Toad was there for him. It was awkward and Toad didn't always know what to say and wasn't very tactful, but Archer could always count on him. Early on in their partnership Archer had found out that Toad was extremely reliable. It was one of the reasons he trusted him so quickly and so easily, even if he had only recently expressed that to Toad verbally.

"You should try to get some sleep." Toad finally said. "We _do_ still have training in the morning."

"What're you, my mother?" Archer grumbled as Toad stood up.

Toad laughed. "You wish!" He raised his voice an octave, a shit eating grin on his face. "Archer! Eat your vegetables! Archer! Go to bed! Archer! Change your underwear!"

Archer couldn't help chuckling as he slid back down to lay on his back. He saw relief flicker across Toad's face as the joke went over well. Archer put his hands behind his head. "We both know I'm the one always taking care of your arse." He couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face when he said that.

"Whatever, _old man_ ," said Toad, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. He then smiled down at Archer.

"Twat."

"You love it and you know it," said Toad walking back to his bed.

Archer rolled his eyes. He listened as Toad crawled into his bed and got comfortable. He hadn't expected to have this kind of conversation tonight. He had wanted to simply stew in his misery. But he was glad it had happened. It didn't really change anything, but after talking about it, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. _Someone_ finally knew why this was such a big deal. And he was glad it was Toad.

"Hey… Chris?"

"Yeah?" came the sleepy reply.

"Thanks mate."

He could almost hear the smile in Toad's voice. "You're welcome."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning at breakfast the base was abuzz with chatter about Amy and Archer. Seeing as Archer was one of the most sensible in the task force, it was strange to most of the men that he had hidden the kitten from MacTavish. Ghost and Roach could guess why he kept her, but only Toad knew the real reason. Amy reminded him of something he had loved and lost. He wanted that love again. Toad suspected that it also had something to do with Archer's fiancé dumping him just over a month ago. Archer hadn't indicated that his feelings toward Amy had anything to do with that, but Toad was betting it did.

He watched his partner on the other side of the table carefully, slowly taking a bite of toast. Archer had been pretty upset the night before, but he seemed back to normal. Well, somewhat anyway. He had a sad look in his eyes, but Toad was sure he was the only one that saw that.

"Hey guys," said Roach, tentatively taking a seat next to Toad.

"Hey man," Toad said quietly, casting a sideways glance at Gary.

"Hey," grunted Archer, not looking up from his food.

"How, uh, you doing?" asked Gary.

"Alright I suppose..."

Archer finally looked up at Roach. "Fine."

He gave Archer a sad look. "I'm really sorry about Amy…"

Archer shrugged. "It was bound to happen." He seemed casual, but Chris clearly saw the tenseness in his shoulders.

Gary sighed. "Still… it's ain't cool. Dunno why we can't keep her…"

Archer simply shrugged again and went back to eating. Gary sighed and began eating while Toad continued to watch Archer. If they weren't allowed to keep Amy the next few days would be very long. When something upset him, Archer had a habit of pulling into himself.

He glanced past Archer's shoulder and saw MacTavish and Ghost sitting together at the other end of the mess hall, having what appeared to be an intense discussion. Toad could only speculate what they were talking about, though it wouldn't have surprised him if it was about Amy. Suddenly Jester took a seat next to Archer.

"Hey guys," he said grinning, blue eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief.

Toad and Roach greeted him, Archer simple grunted. He nudged Archer with his elbow.

"You got the whole damn base in an uproar with that cat."

Archer gave him a sideways look, one eyebrow raised.

"I haven't seen this much commotion since Roach let that rat loose in the barracks!" Jester looked pointedly at Toad, his grin widening.

Chris scrunched up his face in disgust. "Don't remind me."

Gary laughed. "Man I wish I had been there when you found it! Bet Archer got a good laugh out of you!"

Archer smirked and nodded.

Toad rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered, poking the last of his scrambled eggs with his fork.

Roach slapped him on the shoulder. "Aww don't be sore about it!"

"It was a fucking _rat_! How am I not supposed to be sore about it?" he said glaring at Gary.

"By growing a pair?" Jester quipped around a mouth full of food.

"Ha ha ha. Fuck you," said Toad, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Aww really?" said Jester, a shit eating grin on his face. "You think I'm fuckable? I'm flattered."

Gary snickered while Toad just glared at him.

"Don't be too flattered mate," said Archer, not looking up from his food. "He'll shag anything that walks."

Chris's mouth fell open slightly in shock. He hadn't expected Archer to crack jokes after what had just happened with Amy. Archer looked at him, his face blank, but a teasing look in his green eyes. Toad quickly recovered and leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face.

"Try not to be too jealous, old man." He grinned, knowing Archer hated it when he called him that. "What can I say? The ladies love me."

Archer rolled his eyes. "Cocky twat," he muttered.

"I prefer confident."

"No… I'm pretty sure in this context cocky is the right word," said Jester. Gary snorted.

Toad opened his mouth to comment, but Jester quickly cut him off.

" _Anyway_ , what's gonna happen to the cat?"

Archer shrugged. "I don't know."

"MacTavish and Ghost have sure been having an intense discussion this morning though," said Roach, throwing a glance at their XOs.

"You think their talking about Amy?" asked Toad.

"Maybe."

"Man, the cat has a name already?" asked Jester, a mild look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah," said Gary grinning. "She's got Archer wrapped around her paw."

Chris watched in amusement as Archer blushed faintly in embarrassment and refused to make eye contact with anyone.

"You saw her," Ian muttered. "She's bloody adorable."

Jester laughed and slapped Archer on the back. "Man I'm telling ya, the quiet ones are always the softies!"

Normally Chris would join in on teasing Archer, but considering the circumstances he decided to come to his aid instead. "Yeah, and the loud mouths are always assholes."

"Oh yay!" Jester raised his hands in mock celebration. "I get to join the club!"

"Oh, oh, oh! Can I join too?" asked Roach, batting his eyelashes at Toad.

"No." Toad glared at the both of them. "And stop that. It's fucking creepy."

Gary just pouted.

Archer pinched the bridge of his nose. "How do I always get mixed up with a bunch of immature twats?" he mumbled.

"Aww, you know you love us," said Jester, sniggering and leaning his head on Archer's shoulder.

Archer tensed immediately and put his hand on Jester's shoulder, firmly pushing him away. Chris couldn't help grinning and shaking his head. Archer wasn't a homophobe, but he seemed to avoid physical contact that wasn't necessary, or violent, like the plague. It was ironic that he was currently sitting with the three people who were most likely to try something that would make Archer uncomfortable.

Toad could see the wheels turning in Jester's head and decided to say something before he could do anything more awkward. "So what do you think will happen to Amy if we don't get to keep her?"

"Guess she'll get adopted out, right?" said Gary, scratching his cheek thoughtfully.

"Seems like that's the only thing that could happen," said Jester, backing away from Archer.

"I've been thinking about that a lot," said Archer. Three sets of eyes turned to watch him curiously. He shifted slightly in his seat. "If we can't keep her, I think I'm gonna ask the Captain if I can take her back to my parents."

"Not a bad idea," said Roach nodding. "I hadn't thought of that."

"So you're parents will take her?" asked Jester.

Archer nodded. "Last time I talked to mum she said she was trying to convince dad to get a cat. So…" he trailed off and shrugged.

"No way will either of them be able to refuse Amy," said Toad with a grin. This was a good thing; it meant that Archer would get to see her once in a while. Giving her up wouldn't be as hard as if she had to go to a stranger.

Archer nodded.

"Roach, Archer, Toad," called MacTavish. "Be in my office in 20 minutes for a mission brief."

"Yes sir!"

Chris watched as Ghost and MacTavish left the mess hall. It would be nice to finally have another mission. Granted, the constant threat of death on a mission wasn't nice, but sometimes hanging around base constantly got boring. Missions broke up the monotony, even if they were dangerous.

Gary and Jester had already started talking about what the mission would be, but Toad wasn't concerned about that. Right now he was more concerned about Archer and what his mind set would be like on the mission. He looked over at Archer. Ian's brow was furrowed and he was staring at the table. Chris knew he was already worrying about who was going to take care of Amy if they were all on the mission. Chris just hoped it wouldn't interfere with their mission otherwise, more than their lives would be in danger.

"Archer," he murmured.

He looked up at him, still frowning. Toad tried to give him a reassuring smile. Archer just nodded slowly and then stood up and walked away without saying a word. Jester watched him go and then looked at Toad with curiosity.

"I swear, it's like you guys have got some secret language or something." A wicked grin formed on Jester's face. "You guys banging?"

Gary choked on the water he was drinking and began coughing.

Toad rolled his eyes. " _No_ , we're not banging. We're not gay."

"You sure?" Jester waggled his eyebrows. "Cause you sure do spend a lot of time together…"

"Christ, Jester. Do you have to be so fucking lewd?" Roach wheezed, still recovering from inhaling his water.

"Yes." Jester leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest in defiance.

Toad pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Look, we're a sniper team, we _have_ to be able to read each other. Especially with the way Archer is." He looked up, annoyed. "If I didn't read Archer so well I'd never know what the fuck was going on and I'd get my ass chewed out more than I already do."

"He _is_ a prick sometimes, isn't he?"

Chris shrugged. "He's just private, I guess. Fucking irritating sometimes though."

"Yeah… I don't even really know anything about him." Jester scratched his head thoughtfully. "Shit, I don't think anyone even knows his real name."

Chris felt privileged that he was one of the few people on base that actually knew Archer's name. "Some people like their privacy. Not everyone's a nosy ass like you."

Jester laughed. "True that!"

"We should probably head to MacTavish's office," said Gary looking at his watch.

"Right."

"Good luck guys," said Jester. "Try to come back alive, all right?"

"We'll try," said Toad, standing up.

Gary followed. "We'll be fine. See ya Jester."

"Later."

Chris and Roach headed out the door and towards MacTavishes office. Chris hoped Archer would keep it together for this mission. If he acted anything like the old Archer, they would be fine. But recently, well, anything was possible. Only time would tell.


	5. Chapter 5

Toad was lying on his stomach in the grass under the thick jungle foliage, eyes glued to his scope. He and Archer were on a hill about a quarter of a mile from the house where the man they were trying to catch was supposedly staying. They were somewhere near the US-Mexico border, Chris wasn't sure where. He was slightly embarrassed to admit that he hadn't really been paying attention during the briefing. Oh he knew who they were after and what he was supposed to do. He just didn't know exactly where they were doing it. They were after a weapons dealer named Miguel Omar. He was selling weapons, heavy weapons, to drug gangs who were then smuggling them into the US. The Task Force was there to cut off the supplies, so to speak. Omar was to be taken alive so that he could be made an example. Toad wasn't sure what that all entailed, but he knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

Toad and Archer were acting as sniper support while MacTavish, Ghost and Roach snuck into the house. They had just finished clearing out the guards and now the rest of the team was near the house. Since taking down the last guy Chris hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone else. They had been perched out on this hill for almost 5 hours and he was, quite frankly, sick of it.

Toad reached up and wiped away the sweat that was threatening to drip into his eyes. He was hot and sweaty and ready to get the guy and get the hell out of there. His ghillie suit was practically soaked, including his mask which was making it harder and harder to breathe. He lowered his scope and pulled his mask off, taking in the wet, earthy scent of the jungle.

"It's too fucking hot out here," Chris muttered. When Archer didn't respond, he turned his head to look at him.

Ian was lying next to him, their shoulders almost touching, with his eyes glued to his rifle scope. If it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of his back Chris would've sworn he was dead. He was lying almost perfectly still, his green eyes full of intensity and concentration. However, his jaw kept clenching and unclenching, signaling he was stressed.

Chris carefully reached over and poked Ian in the side. The sniper frowned deeply.

"What?" he growled.

"You doing alright over there, old man?" Toad asked, making sure to keep his voice down.

Archer didn't turn his head, but his green eyes focused on Chris. "Fine."

"You sure? It's understandable if you're not, considering Amy–"

"Don't you think looking through your scope is more important than bugging me?"

"Fuck, Ian, we got everyone. There's no one there."

"You don't know that. Now get your eyes back on your damn scope."

Chris scowled as Archer's eyes refocused on his rifle scope. "I'm just making sure you're alright, don't need to be an asshole about it."

"I'm _fine_."

Toad snorted. "I don't believe that for a second. I know you're worried about Amy."

Archer closed his eyes and lowered his head, sighing. Chris held his breath for a moment, wondering if he had just really pissed Archer off. When Ian looked up at Toad his eyes were serious, but not angry. He pulled his mask off.

"Look, Chris, would you _please_ shut the bloody fuck up. I just want to get this over with and get the hell out of here."

"You _are_ worried about Amy."

"Of course I am," Archer snapped. "But if I so much as think about her it will distract me from my job. I need to be one hundred percent focused right now, and for that to happen I need to not talk or think about Amy and I need you to shut up. Because if something were to happen…" He swallowed heavily and his eyes filled with pain. He looked away from Chris.

When Archer spoke again his voice was barely above a whisper. "If this op gets fucked up, if someone gets hurt or killed, because I was worried about a kitten… I don't know if I could live with myself."

"Oh," was all Chris could say.

Archer looked at him again, a pleading look in his eyes. "So please, just concentrate so I can concentrate."

"Okay."

Archer's face flooded with relief. He turned back to his rifle and Chris turned back to his scope, thinking. Chris didn't ever think that his behavior had affect Archer all that much. But it seemed that it did. Chris was happy he wasn't invisible to Archer, but he would need to watch his actions more when they were on missions.

Chris frowned as he looked through his scope. He needed to apologize to Archer, but to do that he needed to push his pride out of the way. For several minutes they lay in silence as Toad struggled within himself. Finally he was able to get the words out.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, unable to take his eyes away from his scope for fear of Archer's reaction. For one brief moment when Archer didn't respond right away Chris was afraid that Archer had rejected his apology. But Ian put a hand on Chris's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before quickly retracting it.

"It's fine," he murmured.

Chris sighed, relaxing.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Toad glanced over at Archer. He was still looking through his rifle scope. "Sokay."

"We good?"

"Always."

Archer hmmed and Chris returned to peering through his scope. They lay in silence for several minutes before the urge to speak rose up in Toad again.

"For what it's worth," Chris murmured. "Ozone's a great guy, I'm sure he'll be fine with Amy."

"I know," said Archer quietly.

Chris heard the unsaid, but implied, _but I still worry_. There wasn't much they could do right now except focus on the mission. If everything went well they would be back at the base by the next day. Hopefully everything was going well for Ozone.

oOo

Nicholas "Ozone" LaVoie walked down the hallway towards MacTavish's office, hands in his pockets. He would only need to check on Amy twice while Archer was gone, as long as the mission went as planned. He was curious to see what all the fuss was about, since he hadn't gotten a good look at her when she raced through the mess hall.

A figure with closely shaved red hair was sitting on a chair outside MacTavish's office and Ozone's steps faltered and he mentally groaned when he realized who it was. Jester. While Nick didn't _dislike_ Jester, he was almost the complete opposite of Ozone and even if he wouldn't say it out loud Jester grated on him sometimes. He continued on, steeling himself for the possible argument about seeing the cat. He was about three meters away when Jester looked up from his phone and noticed him, an obnoxious grin spreading over his face, and jumped up from his seat.

"Hey, Ozone! How's it goin'?"

"Fine," said Ozone, a hint of suspicion lacing his voice, as he stopped in front of MacTavish's office door.

Jester feigned hurt, placing a hand to his chest. "Oh, don't be so suspicious!"

"With you, there is always something to be suspicious about."

"So true," said Jester giving him what was probably a charming grin, but Nick wasn't falling for it at all. He just crossed his arms over his chest. Jester's grin faltered when he realized this wasn't going to be easy and he coughed awkwardly. "So, I'll just get to the chase. I want to come in with you and see the kitten."

Ozone raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Oh come on! No one has to know!"

"Archer and MacTavish are trusting me to be the only one that goes in that room to check on her."

"But we don't have to tell them."

Nick gave him a pointed look as he dug the keys out of his pocket.

"Pleeeeease?" said Jester batting his eye lashes at Ozone, his ice blue eyes shining hopefully.

Ozone hesitated.

"I barely got to see in the dining hall and she was pretty damn cute. I just wanna see her again. Come on… please?"

Ozone's shoulders slumped slightly as he resigned to letting Jester come in with him. He knew, _he knew_ , he was being played, but he couldn't find it in himself to resist. He signed heavily. "Fine."

Jester grinned at him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks man."

"Yeah, yeah," Ozone grumped as he shoved the key into the lock. "Just, for the love of god, don't tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed."

Ozone carefully opened the door, making sure Amy wouldn't accidentally slip out. But as they slipped into the office he noticed that she was nowhere to be found. In the room was a desk with its side pushed up against the wall under a window, a couple of chairs in front of it and one behind it. There was a small cot on the back wall, presumably because MacTavish occasionally fell asleep in his office. Filing cabinets and bookshelves lined the rest of the walls along with a small table on the opposite wall of the desk. There was a small litter box under the table and a bowl of water under the desk.

"Where is she?" asked Jester, a hint of concern in his voice, as they stepped into the room and shut the door.

Ozone shrugged. "Hiding maybe?" He sincerely hoped that was what she was doing.

Jester pouted. "That's not fun."

Nick just rolled his eyes as walked around the desk. There were some paper plates and a few little cans of, what upon closer inspection, turned out to be kitten food. Ozone picked one up and wondered if he should give Amy the whole thing. He shrugged and decided he would. Jester stood behind him looking around mercifully quiet, which was a miracle.

Nick popped the can open and as soon as he did they heard a small mewl. Jester and Ozone looked at each other and then at the cot. The tiny tabby calico trotted out from under the bed, meowing incessantly. She came up to Ozone and rubbed against his boot. Now he understood why Archer had hidden her from MacTavish. Who wouldn't have?

"Oh my god," said Jester, hint of fondness in his voice. "I'm not a cat person usually, but holy shit, she's cute. No wonder Archer tried to keep her."

"Yeah," said Nick quietly, watching Amy. She was looking at him and meowing. "Hey, Amy. You hungry?"

She stood up, bracing her front paws on his leg and meowed louder.

Jester laughed. "I guess that's a yes."

Ozone nodded and dumped the contents of the can out on a paper plate. He bent over and set the plate on the floor. Amy happily went to the plate and began eating as Jester lowered himself to sit cross legged on the floor next to her. Nick followed suit, stretching his legs out and leaning his back against one of filing cabinets near the desk.

"Hey there little girl," said Jester as he petted Amy with one finger.

"She's tiny."

"Yeah." Jester looked up at Ozone and smirked. "Even funnier that the biggest guy on the Task Force was fussing over her."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't have?"

"Touché," said Jester, laughing. "And I probably wouldn't have been able to keep her hidden as long as Archer. I probably would have been found out the first day!"

Ozone just shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

Amy was done eating and was licking her chops. She walked over to Ozone and got up in his lap. He watched her curiously, not touching her. She whacked at the buttons on his green shirt and then began chewing on one of them.

Jester pouted. "How come she likes you better than me?"

"Because I'm not an obnoxiously loud, insufferable bastard," said Nick smirking.

Jester placed a hand on his heart dramatically. "Ouch, Nick, you wound me."

Ozone snorted as he began to play with Amy with his hand. "Doubtful."

"No really!" said Jester, grinning. "Look, my heart's bleeding!"

"Bleeding what? Mountain Dew?"

"Hey! I don't drink that much."

Nick gave him a pointed look.

"Okay so maybe I do." He smirked. "But it's not like you don't have your little indulgences."

Ozone shrugged. "At least I don't deny them."

Jester rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever." He turned his attention back to Amy, who was still occupied with Ozone's hand. "So you should let me have a turn with the cat."

"Be my guest," said Nick, gesturing at Amy with his free hand.

Jester scooted closer and picked up Amy from Ozone's lap. She meowed in surprise and he shifted her so he was holding her in both hands, nearly dwarfing her. He brought her up to eye level to get a better look at her.

"Boy, you really are cute," he said, looking into her dark blue eyes. She cocked her head, watching him. He set her in his lap and began petting her, his hand engulfing her. "It'd be sweet if we can keep her."

"Yeah," said Ozone softly. He sighed "But you know it's not going to happen."

Jester snorted. "Yeah, because the general's a hard ass." They let us keep pets when I was in the Marines."

Nick shrugged. "Not much we can do about it."

Jester hummed and watched as Amy curled up in his lap. "Archer's been acting pretty different since he found her."

Ozone frowned slightly. He was right; Archer had been different the last week. He had been a lot more relaxed and seemed happier. Nick didn't know Archer very well, just knew that they were similar in that they kept to themselves and didn't particularly like being pranked.

"What do you think that's about?" asked Jester, watching Ozone with bright blue eyes.

Nick rubbed the black stubble on his head. "I don't know."

"Not even a guess?" Jester raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You've been here longer than me and probably know him better."

Ozone shook his head. "Not really. He's always kept to himself. But… he hasn't really made any friends, I guess. At least not that I know of."

"He must have been _thrilled_ to have Toad assigned as a roommate." Jester paused thinking. "Maybe Amy's all he's got?"

"Possibly."

"You think he'll freak out if we can't keep Amy?"

"That doesn't sound like Archer."

Jester tapped his chin thoughtfully. "True." He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Ozone just nodded. There wasn't much they could do. Even if they rallied and tried to convince the general to let them keep her, it probably wouldn't succeed. Shepherd wasn't someone you wanted to piss off. And Nick was sure that making a fuss over a kitten would be pissing off material. All they could do now was wait and see what would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy writing Jester and Ozone. I will have to write one shots with them someday. :)


	6. Chapter 6

On the chopper ride back to the base Archer was trying to pull himself into a zone of Stoic indifferent acceptance. The op had been a success. There were minimal injuries, a few cuts and bruises, Roach had sprained an ankle and a bullet had grazed Ghost's arm, but otherwise they were unharmed. Now that he didn't have to worry about the op the thing with Amy was crawling its way back into his mind and he needed to keep himself together.

He closed his eyes and rested his chin on his chest, listening to the steady thwock, thwock, thwock of the chopper blades. It was usually a comforting sound. The sound of heading home alive. But right now he was just trying to keep his emotions in check. The combination of worry for Amy and post mission come down was playing hell with his mind.

When he looked up Chris was watching him intently. He raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question, but Chris didn't respond, just kept watching him. Ian looked away, pointedly ignoring him. He knew that Toad was trying to figure out what he was feeling and was worried about him, but he didn't need to be _mothered_ , even if Amy made him feel ten again.

As the chopper landed at base he was trying to keep those feelings in check. He wanted to rush to MacTavish's office and check on Amy as soon as they landed. He knew he couldn't do that though and MacTavish probably wouldn't let him anyway. So he hopped out of the chopper and waited for Toad to follow him. Chris jumped out and slapped him on the shoulder.

"I am beyond ready to get out of these things."

Ian nodded and watched as Roach and Ghost headed to the infirmary to get checked out. MacTavish was already heading for the armory. Archer frowned as Ozone and Jester jogged up to MacTavish and began talking to him. Jester looked whipped, shoulders and head sagging, and Ozone was standing at full attention while he talked. He only did that when he knew he was in trouble. As he talked MacTavish's frown grew deeper.

Ian's heart dropped into his stomach as he remembered that Ozone was supposed to be taking care of Amy. He took off towards the three men, barely registering that Toad was talking to him. When he came up to them MacTavish was in the middle of reprimanding them.

"- just supposed to go and feed her!"

"Yes sir."

"What happened?" Archer snapped, more harshly than he intended. Jester actually flinched, looking like a kicked puppy.

MacTavish turned to face him looking stern. "Archer, go get out of your gear."

"What. Happened," he growled.

"We lost Amy," answered Jester, looking miserable.

"What?" said Toad as he came up to stand beside Archer. "How the hell did that happen?"

"It was my fault," said Ozone, turning to face Archer his green blue eyes apologetic.

"Alright. We'll start th-"

"No," came MacTavish's stern reply.

Archer turned to him frowning. "What?"

"Ozone and Jester-" MacTavish gave them a pointed look. "- will continue to look for her. You and Toad will go get out of your gear."

"But-"

"No," growled MacTavish. "You will go get out of your gear. That's an order, Archer."

Ian ground his teeth in frustration. "Fine," he spat.

"Come help when you're done," said MacTavish. His voice was still gruff, but his ice blue eyes had softened.

Relief flood Archer as he realized that MacTavish wasn't banning him from searching for Amy. He nodded curtly and then turned and headed for the armory.

A couple hours later and they had searched the inside and outside of the office building and outside everywhere else, except the shooting range and barracks, which is where they currently were. Ian was starting to worry that maybe she had already wandered off base. If that was the case, there was no chance that they'd find her.

The initial panic that Archer had felt was now being replaced with a heavy sinking feeling; sadness or resignation maybe. He had started to get excited over the idea that he could take Amy to his parents and see her when he came to visit them.

Toad sat down on the ground heavily and looked up at Ian. "I don't think we're gonna find her."

Ian ran a hand through his reddish brown hair and sighed heavily. He sat down next to Chris. "I know," he said softly. "She's probably long gone by now."

Chris gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Archer just shrugged.

Suddenly one of the barrack windows near them opened and they looked up. Scarecrow poked his head out and blinked owlishly at them. He looked like he had just woken up, his strawberry blonde hair sticking out in all directions.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, a confused frown on his face.

"Looking for Amy," Toad answered.

Now Scarecrow looked even more confused. "She's in your room."

"What?"

"Yeah, I was heading to the rec room," he said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "I don't know where she came from, but suddenly she was following me. So I put her in your room. I didn't know where else to put her."

Ian was already scrambling to his feet, rushing off to the barracks front door. Toad was hot on his heels, yelling a hurried thanks over his shoulder to Scarecrow. Archer threw the door open and raced down the hall, coming to a screeching halt in front of their door. He pulled the key out of his pocket and fumbled with it before getting it in the lock and finally, finally, unlocking it and opening it.

And there was little Amy, curled up on his bed asleep. Immense relief filled Archer and he was momentarily shocked by how intense the feeling was. He just stood there in the doorway, looking at Amy and trying to process his feelings.

Finally Chris gave him a little shove on the back.

"Move it, sasquatch."

Ian stumbled into the room and over to his bed. He gingerly sat down and placed a hand on Amy, almost engulfing her. He gently petted her and swallowed heavily, emotions swirling in his chest.

"I wish we could keep her," Scarecrow said softly.

Ian looked up. Shane was leaning on the door frame, his dark blue eyes focused on Amy. He looked a little wistful.

Toad sighed. "It would be a nice change."

Archer situated himself on his bed. He grabbed Amy and set her on his lap. She sighed heavily, putting her paws over her face and sinking into his lap. Ian felt his heart melt with affection. It was scary how much he had come to love her. He honestly hadn't known he was capable of feeling that much love for something.

"You're gonna hafta tell the captain," said Shane quietly.

"Yeah," Archer murmured.

He didn't look up, just started petting Amy again. He could feel Chris watching him.

"You want me to tell him?" Shane asked.

Ian looked up and gave a halfhearted shrug. It didn't matter who told MacTavish, he'd still have to give her up. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Do you mind?"

"Naw man," said Scarecrow, smiling lazily. "I'll even see if he'll let her stay here."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Shane pushed himself off the door frame and turned to leave. "See you later."

"Later."

Ian grunted, attention focusing back on Amy. Chris walked over and crouched down at Archer's feet. Ian kept his eyes glued to Amy. He didn't need Chris's pity. He was a grown man for god's sake. But when he finally looked up Chris was just crouched there watching him, his blue grey eyes searching his face.

"She means a lot to you."

Ian just nodded, feeling that words would fail him as he didn't really know how to express the things he was feeling.

"It's love."

"What?

"The thing you're trying to express and put a name to. I think it's love."

"It feels more intense than that," said Archer quietly.

Chris shrugged. "Doesn't mean it isn't love."

Ian didn't answer. Chris was probably right. He looked down as Amy rolled over and stretched out so she was belly up, cradled between his legs. Chris reached out and rubbed a finger on her belly. She sighed contentedly. There was a knock at the door. Toad gave Archer a sympathetic look.

"It's open," he called, standing up.

The door opened and MacTavish walked in. his ice blue eyes scanned the room, quickly taking everything in. Archer braced himself for the inevitable.

"Toad."

"Sir."

"Archer."

"Captain."

MacTavish looked down at Amy for a moment. Chris shifted nervously from foot to foot. Archer kept his head up. He was going to do this with dignity if it killed him.

"I talked to the general," MacTavish said at last. He met Archer's eyes. "We are not going to be able to keep her."

"I expected as much," said Archer. He had, but that didn't stop his stomach from sinking a little.

MacTavish raised an eyebrow. "You're taking this rather well."

"Not much I can do," Archer answered, making sure to keep his voice even.

"Well… what shall we do with it?"

"Her," Toad corrected.

MacTavish turned to him, a quizzical look on his face. Ian saw Chris's cheeks turn slightly pink, but he squared his shoulders.

"Her name's Amy, sir."

Ian felt a swell of pride and affection for his best friend. MacTavish gave Toad a once over and then nodded slowly.

"Alright. What should we do with Amy?"

"I thought that maybe my parents might want her," said Ian.

"Hmm." MacTavish rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Have you contacted them yet?"

"Not yet, sir. I was going to later tonight."

"Good. I don't care where she goes as long as she doesn't stay here." He tapped his finger against his chin, looking thoughtfully at Amy. "She can stay in your room until we find someone to take her."

"Alright," said Archer.

MacTavish nodded curtly. "I'll leave you to it then." And with that he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Ian looked at Chris, surprised. Toad's mouth was hanging open slightly in shock. They just stared at each other for a moment. Finally Chris snapped his mouth shut and shook his head, a slightly smile on his face.

"Well that went better than expected."

Ian nodded, still a little shocked that MacTavish was letting Amy stay with them.

"At least we get to keep her here for a little while," said Chris, smiling.

"Yeah," said Archer, his voice cracking slightly.

He placed a hand over his mouth, a sudden rush of emotion overwhelming him. Intense relief and affection and love washed over him making his chest constrict. He looked down at Amy. The little calico slept on blissfully unaware of the drama that surrounded her. He set a trembling hand on her. His breath hitched uncomfortably and a small part of him wanted to sob in relief.

"You okay?" Chris asked.

Archer looked up. Toad was watching him, a mix of curiosity and concern on his face.

"I-" Ian stopped and took a deep breath, reining in his emotions and pushing them down. "Yeah. I am. Just…" He swallowed heavily. "Just a little overwhelmed."

"Feeling things is okay, you know," said Chris. "It makes you human."

"I know," said Archer quietly. "But…" He sighed in frustration. "I don't know how to… to…"

"Express 'em?"

"Yeah."

"Welcome to the man club," said Chris, grinning. "Where we either bury our feelings or express them by beating the shit out of each other."

"That's stupid," Archer mumbled.

Toad laughed. "Probably. But it's not something that's gonna disappear overnight."

"I suppose," Ian sighed.

He petted Amy. Chris's face softened in sympathy.

"Should we get the litter box and stuff from MacTavish's office?"

Archer nodded. "Good idea."

"I _do_ have those sometimes."

Ian rolled his eyes. He picked Amy up and set her on the bed. She stretched out and he scratched her white belly then stood up.

"Let's go."

Chris nodded and they headed out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was mostly able to write this stupid chapter because the weather got nice. DX  
> This chapter was also heavily inspired by Joshua Radin, particularly his song "Tomorrow Is Gonna Be Better."


End file.
